1992: Simpson -- then 12 -- famously auditioned for "The Mickey Mouse Club" around the same time as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Unlike them, Simpson didn't make the cut. (This is Simpson and her younger sister, Ashley.)

1993: After being discovered singing "Amazing Grace" at a church camp, Simpson signed with a gospel music label. But the label went bankrupt soon after, leaving Simpson's album unreleased.

1996: Legendary producer Tommy Mottola got wind of Jessica's talent and signed her to Columbia Records.

1999: At 19, Simpson released her first single -- a ballad called "I Wanna Love You Forever." The song and its album became an instant hit.

2000: Simpson recorded and released her second album, "Irresistible," which was stocked with poppier, more upbeat songs aimed at helping her compete with Spears and Aguilera. The tour for the album was cut short after the terror attacks of 9/11.

2002: Simpson married her boyfriend, 98 Degrees frontman Nick Lachey, at the age of 22.

2003: The true tipping point of Simpson's fame turned out to come from reality TV, not music. As the subjects of MTV's docuseries "Newlyweds," she and Lachey became household names -- largely thanks to her ditzy soundbites. Simpson's third album, "In This Skin," was released months after the show debuted.

2004: With celebrity franchsing at its peak, Simpson launched a line of edible fragrances and cosmetics called "Dessert by Jessica Simpson."

2005: Simpson starred in "The Dukes of Hazzard," her biggest film role to date.

2006: Simpson and Lachey divorced ("Newlyweds" wrapped roughly 18 months earlier.) Later that year, Simpson had a fling with singer John Mayer, who later told Playboy she was "sexual napalm."

2007: As her movie career fizzled, Simpson turned back to music, recording a country album -- and amping up her country image by having a high-profile relationship with Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, for whom she was widely considered to be a bad luck charm.

2008: Simpson launched her first fragrance, "Fancy." It was the true beginning of a merch business that now includes clothing, shoes and hair extensions. Her businesses have been valued at $1 billion in revenue per year.

2009: Simpson's weight (she appeared to have gained around 10 pounds) sparked enormous Internet chatter as comment board trolls labeled her "fat" and fans fought back. Simpson has been somewhat of a healthy-body-image advocate since.

2010: Simpson began dating NFL player Eric Johnson. The two announced their engagement in November.

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2011: Johnson and Simpson announced in October that Simpson is pregnant with their first child. Simpson today denied that she's circling a $4 million baby-weight-loss deal with Weight Watchers.